


For the Better

by VirginiasWolf



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, M/M, Multi, True Love's Confession briefly mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-07 07:59:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15904164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VirginiasWolf/pseuds/VirginiasWolf
Summary: What if Moriarty hadn't turned to smoke in the aftermath of being stabbed by Prospero and had instead been saved by a confession from Flynn.  In the hours before they are all turned to stone to be resurrected in the Library he awakes and comes to some realizations about his new place with the Library and with Flynn and Eve.





	For the Better

James isn't sure how much of his recent memory has been fabricated by pain and near death, but he knows that his brain must have made up at least some of it. Being stabbed by Prospero doesn't surprise him, so that part is probably true, but after that it seems as if a false memory has been implanted.

There is no way he is correct in the memory of Flynn Carsen pulling him close and whispering, "I love you. It's going to be okay." After all, the man certainly does not love him and probably does not care whether or not he believes things are going to be okay.

The confusion of this memory causes James to let out an audible groan before he even opens his eyes. 

Immediately, he becomes aware that someone is stroking his hair and the voice of Eve Baird, his duchess, murmurs, "Just stay still." 

If this is a hallucination as well, it seems to be a rather cruel one and this makes James almost afraid to open his eyes. When he finally does work up the courage, to do so, a very much flesh and blood Eve Baird is before him, still clad in her Shakespearean garb, minus the cap. Wordlessly she continues stroking his hair and offers a tearful smile as she looks at him.

The only explanation James can think of is that, despite the protests of Flynn and the other librarians, she must have managed to convince Jenkins to bring him back to the annex and he tries to sit up to listen for the sound of their footsteps and voices.

"You need to build up your strength." Eve states managing to convince him to lay back down with another sincere smile.

After a moment a single figure enters the room. James feels something in his stomach tighten when he realizes the new figure is Flynn Carsen, who is also clad in his Shakespearean garb. He's too exhausted to play a game of wits with the Librarian, but instead of trying to taunt him, Flynn only asks Eve "Have you told him yet?"

Eve turns away from James and sighs, "He just woke up."

"So that's a no then," Flynn states, walking over closer to the bed that James is lying on and sitting down on the side of it. The expression he wears could almost pass for concern, but James is too focused on the Librarian's first question to think too much about this seeming change of heart.

Ignoring Eve's protests he sits up sharply and immediately regrets it as pain shoots through his body. "What am I not being told?" he asks trying to fix Flynn with his most vicious glare possible.

The Librarian and the Duchess exchange glances before Flynn speaks. "It's harder to go forward in time than it is to go back. So we're trapped in Shakespeare's London." after a pause Flynn hurriedly adds, "Well we're not trapped. Shakespeare can actually use a spell, which will turn us into statues which can be revived in the Library in four hundred years, but I of course told him we needed to wait." Flynn delivers the final line as if the logic behind it is perfectly obvious and clear.

Before James can contemplate exactly what message Flynn is trying to convey, the excess of pain begins to cloud his vision again and he realizes he is about to pass out once more.

As he's blacking out, he can almost swear that both Flynn and Eve reach out to prevent him from falling too hard onto the mattress.

The second time he wakes up, Eve is absent, but Flynn is still sitting on the side of the bed. "How bad does it hurt?" the Librarian asks, gently running his fingers over the small wound that remains from Prospero's stabbing.

"Why are you doing this Librarian?" James hears himself ask hoarsely.

Flynn pauses and softly kisses James's knuckles before answering, "Because when you get your strength back, we're all going to get out of here."

It is in this moment that James realizes with sudden clarity that everything he'd assumed had been a hallucination must have actually been real. He can't be sure what caused Flynn to have what seems to be a change of heart about him, but there is nothing cruel or insincere about the way the Librarian is looking at him. Furthermore, he realizes by some strange twist, he might just be falling for him as well.

Before he has time to figure out how he should handle this strange new situation, the door opens and Eve enters again. "You need to eat something." she states placing a bowl on the bedside table. When Flynn tries to push the bowl towards James a little too quickly she sternly adds, "You BOTH need to eat something," and places a second bowl on the surface.

The substance in the bowl is some sort of thick soup with chunks of mystery meat and what appears to be bread floating in it, but James manages to fight back his disgust and consume the whole bowl.

The moment both men are done eating, Eve sets the bowls back on the side table before nestling up against James's side in the bed, "We can go back to Shakespeare in the morning." she declares, punctuating it with a loud yawn before letting her head fall lightly onto James's chest.

In that moment James isn't sure what is going to happen to him once they make it back to the Library, but he is sure something has changed, and it seems to be for the better.


End file.
